Confusion in China as murder 'victim' reappears after 11 years

Police in central China are re-examining the case of a man convicted of murdering his neighbour 11 years ago after the "victim" suddenly reappeared in good health.

7:00AM BST 07 May 2010

Zhao Zuohai was convicted and sentenced to death by a court in Henan province on charges of killing his neighbour Zhao Zhenxiang in a 1999 dispute over a woman they both were seeing, the Beijing News said.

His sentence was commuted to life in prison and later reduced to 20 years.

Zhao Zuohai confessed to the killing after a headless body was found in a local well in Zhecheng county, where he lived.

However, his "victim" suddenly returned to the area this week after an 11-year absence, stunning police, the report said.

It said Zhao Zhenxiang apparently fled the county after the 1999 dispute and relocated without telling anyone, leading to his being listed as missing.